Combine sparks field fire

A blaze sparked by a fire on a combine burned  2 1/2 acres Friday afternoon in on Steel Bridge Road in Creston, sending a plume of gray smoke into the sky.

The fire started at about 2:30 p.m., when what was believed to be a hot belt or bearing in the combine burst into flames, setting fire to the field and burning down the cut rows. The extremely dry straw left in the field crackled loudly as the fire pushed northwest thanks to light winds.

The combine’s operator was able to drive it out of the field to avoid causing further issues and make it easier to put water on the machine. Firefighters were further aided by the fact that the fire was being pushed toward the two edges of the field bounded by roads.

At least two neighbors helped the fight as well. One used a tractor to cut a line around the back edge of the fire. Another neighbor across the street pulled out a garden hose to wet the edge of his property and then walked across the street, wetting down the roadside edge of the field and then attacking the fire itself.

After the fire had been extinguished in about half an hour, long black lines were left scorched through the yellow field.

“It burned primarily in the cut stubble with minor involvement to the crop itself,” Creston Fire Chief Gary Mahugh said.

Four engines from the Creston Fire Department responded to the fire, with a fifth canceled en route.

“The biggest lesson out of this is seeing just how dry it is,” Mahugh said. “People should exercise extreme caution.”

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.